Qualcomm States That Apple Owes $7 Billion In Device Royalty Payments

Qualcomm has apparently stated, in a federal court hearing in San Diego, that Apple owes the company no less than $7 billion in unpaid patent royalty payments, according to a report coming in from Reuters.

This accusation is just another one in an ever-growing pile that started when, 2 years ago, Apple sued Qualcomm for $1 billion stating that the chipmaker has been double charging Apple on patent royalties.

According to the company, the royalty payments to Qualcomm were no less than five times higher than all the rest of Apple’s payments combined. Keep in mind that Qualcomm owns a large number of patents that relate to the cellular technologies we use today and Apple uses a lot of them on the iPhone series.

Apple has moved away from depending on Qualcomm since the trial started and has been sourcing components from other technology developers, but, being that it’s been years since the two companies have been engaged in the dispute, payments have also most likely been put on hold and Qualcomm suggested that the total dues add up to the bewildering sum we have on hand today.

Qualcomm is still maintaining its position concerning the matter, stating that any royalty arrangements they may have placed on Apple are entirely legal.

With such large sums of money in the game, it’s not likely any of the companies is going to give up on the legal battle anytime soon and this is probably not the last we hear about it.